Workers at an Oldham semiconductor manufacturer are voting on whether to take strike action.

Voting opened on Friday (August 25) over whether to take strike action at Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Ltd, located on Stockfield Road, Chadderton.

A Diodes staff member at the Oldham plant said they were ‘not in a position to comment’.

Unite the Union says the company has offered workers a 5.5 per cent pay increase.

The union says this amounts to a ‘real terms pay cut’.

According to the Office for National Statistics, annual consumer price inflation is at 6.4 per cent, as of July 2023, following a peak at 9.6 per cent in October.

According to a Diodes press release from August 2023, the parent company Diodes Incorporated made $195.4 million in the second quarter of 2023, with a ‘record’ profit margin of 41.8 per cent.

Semiconductors are used in electronic devices including computers and are essential to manufacturing microchips, required in smartphones, computers, and used in modern televisions, radios and more.

Unite says it is now balloting 126 members at the Oldham manufacturing site, including direct manufacturing operatives, professional engineers and support staff.

The union said 23 workers at the plant are on minimum wage.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This global giant is swimming in cash while the workers in Oldham are struggling to keep their heads above water. It’s no wonder they’re voting on strike action.

"This is a company which can easily afford to raise salaries.

“The workers have Unite’s full support throughout their campaign for a fair wage instead of a pay cut.

Unite regional officer Tracey Ashworth said: “The skilled manufacturing workers at Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Ltd have helped to make the company hugely profitable and successful. It’s only right that they get a fair share of the profits.

“There’s still time to negotiate and avoid industrial action. We hope management uses this time wisely.”